-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When Peggielene Bartels went to bed on a summer night in 2008 , she was an ordinary administrative assistant living in a modest one-bedroom condo just outside Washington D.C. .

But a few hours later , when a persistent ringing phone woke her up in the dead of the August night , the 55-year-old found out she was much more than simply a secretary .

At the other end of the line was Bartels 's cousin , from Otuam , a small fishing village on the coast of Ghana . Excited and humble , he congratulated her on being the new king of Otuam .

`` I said , ` listen , it 's 4 o'clock in the morning in the U.S. , I am very tired , let me sleep , ' '' remembers Bartels . `` I thought he was trying to really play games with me . ''

But this was no time for games .

The previous king of Otuam , who was Bartels 's uncle , had just died . The village elders , who remembered Bartels from the times she 'd visited with her mother , had decided to anoint her as their new ruler .

Watch video : King Peggy shows off her crowns

After the initial shock , Bartels decided to accept the kingship . Over the course of a few days , she went from being plain old Peggielene Bartels , who had worked for nearly three decades at the Ghanaian Embassy in the United States , to becoming King Peggy -- the first female king of Otuam , reigning over approximately 7,000 people .

`` It never ever occurred to me -LSB- that I 'd be Otuam 's king -RSB- , '' says Bartels , who 's been living in the United States since her early 20s . `` I realized that on this earth , we all have a calling . We have to be ready to accept it because helping my people has really helped me a lot to know that I can really touch their lives , '' she adds . `` I would have really regretted it if I had n't really accept this calling . ''

Although she still works at the Ghanaian Embassy , Bartels uses all her holiday every year to spend a month in Otuam .

King is the traditional title of Otuam 's ruler , and Bartels says she 's happy to be called a king , rather than queen , because it means she can achieve more .

`` Most of the time , a king is the one who has all the executive power to do things , while the queen is mostly in charge of the children 's affairs and reporting to the king , '' she says . `` So I really love this . ''

Read more : The Lady King of Otuam

King Peggy was born in Takoradi , southern Ghana , in 1953 . She studied in England before moving to the United States , where she became an American citizen in 1997 .

But after inheriting the throne , Bartels has been living two very different lives in two different continents .

In Washington , her secretarial duties include typing letters , answering phone calls and booking appointments . In her little apartment her life is far removed from the luxuries of her royal roots .

`` When I am in the United States I do everything by myself , '' she explains . `` I do my own laundry , I do my own cooking , I do my own driving and I do my own bed when I wake up in the morning . ''

Read more : Secretary is still the top job for women

But back in Ghana , she stands out as a gold crown-wearing , scepter-holding king who lives in a refurbished palace . Otuam residents usually address her as `` Nana '' -- an honorary title given to royalty but also to women with grandchildren -- and bow when they see her .

`` When I am back home they see me as their king and they want to pamper me , '' she says .

`` They have to cook for me , they have to carry me around and they have to protect me from people . They want to do everything for me which I usually refuse ... Sometimes I say to them ` please , do n't bow . ' I just want them to be free and comfortable so that way we can really address issues . ''

In pictures : Africa 's power women

But beyond the bows , the royal attire and certain luxuries that come with her title , being a king in an impoverished place like Otuam is all about dealing with the pressing needs of the community and improving the lives of the people , says Bartels .

`` To be a king in an African village or some places like this , it 's not like European queens where everything is on a silver platter for them , '' she says . `` I have to really work hard to help my people . I have to give myself to people to better their lives . ''

In the last few years , she 's helped poor families pay school fees for their children and brought computers to classrooms . With the help of other Americans she 's also provided Otuam with its first ambulance , as well as access to clean , running water . Her next priority , she says , is to bring state-of-the-art toilets to Otuam .

And even when she 's not in Ghana , her royal duties do not stop ; she wakes up at 1am every morning to call Otuam and be informed about what 's happening in the community .

`` I talk to my regent , I talk to my elders , '' Bartels says . `` If there is something that I want to know , they tell me . If there is something that I want them to do , I tell them . ''

Last year , King Peggy 's real-life fairy tale was documented in a book written by her and author Eleanor Herman . And now she says her amazing life journey from secretary to king will be told in a film , after Hollywood star Will Smith bought the rights to the book .

`` Next year , God willing , we are going to have a movie out there , '' says King Peggy . `` Queen Latifah is going to play me and I 'm so happy to at least let the whole world know that a secretary can become a king and lead wisely and help the people . ''

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For more than 30 years , Peggielene Bartels has worked as a secretary in the U.S.

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But then one day a phone call took her back to her Ghanaian roots

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She was chosen to be the king of Otuam , a fishing village in Ghana

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Her life journey has been documented in a book ; a Hollywood film is expected next year .